


As the Tide Rises and Falls

by jibber_jabber



Category: Original Work
Genre: Archery, Boat Sex, Boats and Ships, Courtship, Duelling, F/F, Forbidden Love, Light Angst, Marriage, Ocean, Pirates, Romance, Royalty, Seaside Country, Swordfighting, Vaginal Fingering, it's a good time, the pirates are basically Robin Hood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:47:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25340098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jibber_jabber/pseuds/jibber_jabber
Summary: The newly crowned queen of Satama, the great harbor of the seas, must pick a husband by the new moon to rule her country with. But what if she’s in love with a swashbuckling pirate queen instead?
Relationships: OF2: Pirate Queen & Queen of a Country by the Sea - Relationship, Original Female Character(s)/Original Female Character(s), Pirate Queen/Queen of a Country by the Sea
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11
Collections: Original Works Opportunity 2020





	As the Tide Rises and Falls

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Original_Work](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Original_Work/gifts).



Queen Lilian de Valtameri had an affinity for pirates, and no one could figure out why.

The queen’s court met in full only once a fortnight. Though she sometimes deferred to the judgement of her court steward, Julius, who was just enough of a busybody to be good at his job, Lilian tried her best to make decisions in favor of equality for all her subjects, weighing the opinions of everyone on her court as evenly as possible. However, the one issue she refused to hear any other perspectives on was the problem of the pirates, who, every month or so, would raid nearby ships owned by the wealthy and leave nothing but the shipowners’ lives intact. 

“But, Your Majesty,” the court members would protest. “It’s a matter of safety! Have you so little concern for your people?”

“I have concern for those who live without the means those shipowners possess,” Lilian would respond, dismissing whoever it was with a flick of her hand. “Leave the pirates be. That’s an order.”

So, in the two and a half months she had ruled over Satama, the members of Queen Lilian’s court had come to accept her stance on pirates, though they didn’t understand it. On the eve of their fifth meeting, the court attendees shuffled into the castle. They bowed to Lilian, who sat at the head of a long marble table, and took their seats. Julius coughed to indicate that he wanted to speak first, and everyone else pretended not to be annoyed at this.

“Yes, Julius?” Lilian said.

“Your Majesty, have you given any thought as to who you might take as your husband?” Julius said, tapping a finger against the table. “The new moon is fast approaching, you know.”

“Yes,” she said. “I’m aware, Julius. And no, I haven’t.”

“Well, no matter.” He unfurled a scroll filled with names. “I have prepared a list of suitable matches for someone of your station.”

“Marvelous,” Lilian muttered.

As Julius rattled off a list of names that Lilian couldn’t be bothered to remember, she thought, with an increasing tightness in her chest, about the upcoming new moon. Since her ancestors first took the throne, it had been customary in Satama for the ruling queen to select a husband by the new moon of her third month of rule. But much to the court’s frustration, Lilian had no interest in any of the matches that had been presented to her.

She had been crowned on the eve of her mother’s seventieth birthday, just as the previous winter melted into a beautiful spring. Having ruled over Satama for forty years, her mother had finally decided to pass the crown on to her daughter, as the matriarchs of the Valtameri family had done for generations. Her father, as the chosen co-ruler of the land, would also be stepping down from his royal duties. A great crowd gathered in the castle garden to watch the coronation and to celebrate after its conclusion. The throne had been dragged to rest at the end of the garden, right under an ancient oak tree that watched over the castle.

The coronation was a rather short affair. Lilian stepped up to the throne, where her mother and father awaited her, and bent down as her mother placed a golden crown with vibrant flowers woven into it upon her head. The beautiful colors of their petals were striking against her dark, tightly spiraled hair and brown skin. When she rose, it was to the thunderous applause of her new subjects paying their respects. Her mother stood from the throne she had occupied for forty years and stepped aside so that her daughter could sit. Lilian lowered herself onto the seat, sinking into the dark purple velvet. She placed her hands on solid silver armrests, and when she looked out, a sea of people had their faces turned to her, eagerly awaiting a speech.

She cleared her throat. “Thank you all,” she said. “I am honored to be your ruler.”

This seemed inadequate to her, but no one else seemed to mind. They all bowed at once, dipping their heads towards the ground.

“Please, rise,” Lilian begged, starting to feel a bit uncomfortable with all of the displays of reverence. “Let us be merry.”

The crowd erupted in cheers. A band hired by the royal family struck up a jolly tune over in the corner, while servants carried trays with free-flowing drinks. The people danced and laughed amongst themselves, and when everyone was at last preoccupied, Lilian’s mother came to her and placed a hand upon her shoulder. The wrinkles on her face deepened as she smiled.

“I am so proud of you, my darling,” she said. “I’m sure you will make a finer queen than I ever was.”

Many came to pay their respects to Lilian and to congratulate her. No one paid much attention to the fact that while most reveled the night away, indulging in entirely too much food and drink and merriment, the newly crowned Queen Lilian spent most of the time gazing out towards the seas, as if waiting for something.

* * *

Queen Lilian had an affinity for pirates for one simple reason: she was in love with one.

Those aboard her ship called her Captain. Some called her The Shadow, for her ability to slip into obscurity at a moment’s notice, always escaping trouble at the last second. And many called her the Pirate Queen as the undisputed leader of the seas; when other pirate ships came within range of her ship, they kowtowed to her will—or hastily turned around. 

Queen Lilian called her Rosa.

As a young princess, Lilian had been adventurous enough that no one batted an eye when she slipped out of the throne room some days, bound for the seas behind the castle. The large stone wall that surrounded the kingdom held a secret door; two taps on the door led to a dock that few knew of or used. It was on a sunny, blue-skied morning that she made her way to that harbor, awaiting the arrival of Rosa’s ship.

A black flag with a golden skull and crossbones on it came into view within minutes of Lilian standing on the docks. As the boat slowed to a stop, Rosa leaned over the side and called out to Lilian. “What’s a beautiful woman like you doing out here all alone?” The smile on her face revealed a gap between her front teeth. Lilian still thought it appealing anyway.

She stepped forward and took Rosa’s hand as she embarked upon the ship. The pirates on deck bowed as they passed, and Lilian could never tell if it was in reverence to her or to Rosa. Rosa led her to the captain’s quarters, a small, cramped room in the back of the ship. Maps tacked to the wall charted the crew’s course. As soon as they were inside, Lilian cradled Rosa’s cheeks in her hands, running a finger along the scar on her left side. Her olive skin, which had deepened in the summer’s rays, hid the scar more than her paler tone in the winter, but Lilian still knew it was there. She knew Rosa like she knew her favorite book—had every page, line, and letter memorized.

“It’s been too long,” she whispered.

“It has, my queen.” Rosa flipped her hand around and pressed a kiss to it. A shiver ran through Lilian’s body that left her tingling even as Rosa stepped out of her embrace. “I need your help with something today.” She reached behind the bed and retrieved a sword, which she unsheathed to reveal a curved blade, the signature of the pirates.

Lilian took the sword without hesitation. This was, after all, a sword that had been designed for her; she’d used it many times when aiding Rosa on her adventures. “Where are we going?”

“A ship with ten noblemen and their bodyguards is due east in a little while. We’re going to raid them.” As she spoke, Rosa slipped into some light leather armor and grabbed her favorite cutlass. “Then we’re paying a visit to the beggars in Satama.”

Lilian smirked. “Oh, you think you can get away with sneaking into my country, huh?” she said. Then she swung the sword in her hand a couple times for practice. “You’re lucky you have me on your side. Most of my court thinks I’m crazy for even letting you sail near the harbor, let alone dock.”

“You’re right.” Rosa lifted Lilian’s chin with her fingers. “I am very lucky.”

They left the captain’s quarters, swords in hand. At Rosa’s command, the crew assembled on deck and manned their positions so they could sail east, towards the noblemen’s ship. The navigator, One-Eye Daniels, was a man of few words—some speculated he was selectively mute—but he had a knack for directions. Rosa stood beside him, guiding the entire operation.

“So,” Lilian asked after a little while. “What did these men do?”

Rosa’s lips curled upwards. “Oh, they’ve got quite the record. Not a pure soul among them.” She detailed accounts she’d received of petty thievery, bribery, spitting on beggars, and treating women and children poorly. By the time she finished, Lilian had worked up an anger of her own, clutching her sword ever tighter.

At last, a ship about half the size of theirs came into view, its flag emblazoned with the crest of a noble house in the neighboring land. “Don’t let the size fool you,” Rosa said to her crew, who had begun to whisper amongst one another. “These are some of the richest men in the land.”

She ordered the ship to approach as she leaned over the bow. When she was within range, she threatened the navigator of the other ship, who was hastily trying to turn course, and told him that she would be coming aboard and not taking no for an answer. Trapped between her ship and a nearby deserted island, the noblemen’s crew had no choice but to give in to her demands. Lilian watched with a swell of pride as Rosa expertly commanded her pirates, who charged at the noblemen and their bodyguards as if fear meant nothing to them.

The scuffle didn’t last long. Rosa’s best pirates had the bodyguards on the ship pinned within minutes, and the noblemen themselves caused no problems, cowering like dogs with their tails between their legs the instant a pirate got too close to them. Rosa had the edge of her sword pressed to the neck of most powerful of the noblemen, a duke who had been known to accost women in the streets. She looked at Lilian, her gray eyes fierce like the sky before a storm. Lilian’s heart pounded. These were the moments that she admired Rosa the most, when she showed strength and defiance in the face of those who were more powerful than her in name only. 

“On the count of three.” She was addressing the duke now. “I will release you, and you’ll show us where you have your riches stored.” She squeezed the blade tighter on his throat. “Nod if you understand me.”

Careful not to cut himself on the cutlass, the duke nodded ever-so-slightly. Rosa counted to three, her booming voice a warning to anyone else that might have considered escaping, and then dropped her sword. The duke rubbed throat. Without saying a word, he opened a trapdoor in the deck and led Rosa into its depths. Panic seized Lilian’s chest until she remembered that Rosa was the most talented swordswoman in all the seas, and the duke was currently unarmed. She would be just fine. Lilian refocused her efforts on restraining the nobleman she had in her grasp.

Rosa emerged a little while later carrying an enormous treasure chest. A couple of crew members ran forward to help her, grabbing the handles on its side. Together, they hauled the chest towards the ramp to the pirate ship. At the base of the ramp, Rosa turned and smiled at the men she’d just robbed, who stared openmouthed at her, some shaking in terror. “Thank you, gentlemen. Your cooperation is much appreciated.” Then they took the treasure to her ship, dumping it on the deck before engaging in a well-earned celebration. The entire crew whooped for joy as they sailed off into the seas once more.

Lilian grinned at Rosa, who pulled her in for a sweeping kiss, dipping her so low to the ground that her hair grazed the wooden planks of the deck. When they came back up for air, the crew members whooped again, and Lilian gave them a sheepish smile. Rosa took her to the captain’s quarters, along with the treasure chest, to a chorus of wolf whistles. They set the chest on the ground with a thud, and Rosa opened it to start counting.

“Damn,” she said, shaking her head. “All that wealth wasted on such terrible men.”

“It’s the way of the world,” Lilian said.

“Yeah. That’s what I like about you, though. You may be wealthy, but at least you have a heart.” Rosa closed the chest and latched it shut. She patted the top of it, the sound echoing throughout the room. 

Lilian remembered a time when Rosa wasn’t the brave pirate she’d come to be known as. They’d met on the streets of Satama, in the aftermath of a flood that had left the poorer families in the land destitute. Every day, against the wishes of the court steward and her mother’s other attendants, Lilian bundled herself in a maroon cloak made of soft velvet and left the castle to give all the food and money she could spare to the people who lived in the slums by the main docks. It was there that she saw a teenage girl, around her age, begging for change. She looked barely-there; her ribs showed through the thin undershirt she wore, her arms hardly big enough for Lilian to wrap her hands around, and her face was gaunt. But even then, Lilian had sensed a fierceness about her. This was someone who was a fighter.

When Lilian slipped her a loaf of bread, their hands brushing against one another, the rest was history.

Those slums were where the crew would venture next, dispersing their hard-won riches first amongst the beggars and then amongst themselves. But first, while they set sail to return to Satama, Lilian had other business to attend to. During the scuffle, Rosa had been cut on the shoulder, deeply enough to soak the sleeve of her tunic. She grabbed Rosa’s arm to stop her from moving.

“Hold still.”

The cut was deeper than she thought. From a drawer beside the bed, Lilian retrieved some gauze and pushed Rosa down onto the mattress. She winced when Lilian’s hand brushed her wound.

“You don’t have to do all this. I can take care of myself,” she protested.

Lilian ignored her. “You say that every time. Let me take care of you, idiot.” Rosa didn’t protest after that. Slowly, Lilian wrapped the gauze around the wound until it was tight enough to soak up all the blood and stop it from bleeding further. She checked her handiwork once, twice, then three times before letting it rest. “There, all better.”

“Thanks,” Rosa said begrudgingly.

Lilian kept her hand on Rosa’s shoulder. Then she let it draft lower, traveling along Rosa’s arm and towards her chest, where she moved over and brushed a thumb over her breast. Rosa’s nipple immediately hardened as Rosa she let out a whimper, so quiet Lilian scarcely heard it. She moved her thumb back in the other direction, eliciting another whine. Before she had a chance to make her next move, Rosa had her by the collar. She tugged her down for a kiss, deep and hungry.

With a muffled moan, Lilian moved fully onto the bed, climbing on top to straddle her. Then she sank down to press her body together with Rosa’s, sighing at the contact. Rosa’s hand crept up her thigh, teasing her outside the thin cotton pants she wore whenever she was on the ship. When she pulled at the waistband to sneak a finger inside, lingering just over her panties, Lilian all but begged her to keep going.

Rosa slid down and pressed feverish kisses to Lilian’s thighs, then worked her way upwards, kissing her stomach, her breasts as she moved her shirt up and over her head. Lilian pulled it the rest of the way off before helping Rosa with hers. When they collided again in a furious kiss, the skin to skin contact made Lilian feel as though she were burning up in the best way possible. Rosa’s hand moved downwards again, slipping into that forbidden place that made her moan again and again and again as Rosa worked her fingers over her clit, then slowly, teasingly, slipped one inside. Lilian shivered and jerked when she crooked her finger.

“Rosa.” Her voice was high and needy. “Please.”

She maintained the pressure until Lilian cried out for more, more, harder, _please_. Then pleasure like a wave swept through her body, leaving her tingling from the crown of her head to the tips of her toes. She sighed and sank back into the mattress. 

Letting out another content sigh, Lilian turned to Rosa. “What about you?”

Rosa bit her lip, which was bright red and swollen, and smiled. She removed her free hand from her panties. “Already taken care of. Your reactions were all the material I needed.”

Lilian laughed, then crawled into Rosa’s open arms. The latter lay on her back, gaze up towards the ceiling. The boat rocked gently on the waves as they stayed in their hideaway.

“Rosa?”

“Hm?” Her eyes were barely open.

“I love you.”

Rosa smiled sleepily and pressed a kiss to Lilian’s forehead. They both closed their eyes, their breath growing heavy and deep, and sunk into a peaceful sleep in one another’s arms. 

Night fell. It was Rosa who stirred first. She rolled over on the pillow, facing Lilian with one eye open. “Lilian,” she said, her voice softer than normal. “The new moon is almost here.”

Lilian closed her eyes, exhaling through her nose. Her heart twinged. “Yes. It is.”

“What are you going to do?”

In response, Lilian opened her eyes and rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling for a while. “Honestly? I don’t know.”

Rosa didn’t fight her, which surprised Lilian. She just nodded sadly, eyes misting over. But Lilian knew she would never allow herself to cry in front of her. “I understand.” Rosa moved in closer, placing a hand on Lilian’s chest and resting her head in the crook between her armpit and shoulder.

Lilian stayed awake until she heard Rosa’s breathing deepen and slow. Only then did she allow herself to fade off into unconsciousness. Together, they fell back into an uneasy sleep, their slumber marked by restless limbs and haunted dreams for Lilian.

* * *

On the day of courtship, which was always held two weeks before the new moon, Lilian thought she’d never seen so many men in the castle before. While her servant, Noelene, laced up the back of her gown, Lilian gazed out the window towards the lawn. Men of all ages and appearances made their way down the stone path and through the main doors, where they would await her arrival in the banquet hall.

“Are you excited for today, my queen?” Noelene said, her voice filled with excitement. She sighed longingly. “I’m so jealous of you. All those men, here to fight for your hand. So romantic.”

“Sure.” Lilian winced as Noelene tied one knot particularly tight. “I suppose it is romantic in a way.”

Noelene finished the dress and clasped her hands together as she moved to Lilian’s side, gazing up at her profile. “Have you any idea who you’re going to pick? Anyone you’ve got your eye on?”

Lilian paused, unsure if she should tell the truth. That there was a person she had her eye on, but it was not someone tradition would approve of. She had just opened her mouth to say something when a knock at the door interrupted them. It was her mother, dressed in a lilac gown and a tiara set upon intricate braids that fell past her shoulders. Lilian thought her mother looked more like a queen than she ever would. 

“Lilian, my dearest.” She stepped forward and took her hands in her own. “You look so beautiful.”

Her mother gave her hands a light squeeze, and Lilian returned it. Then she dropped her mother’s grip. “Thank you,” she said.

“Are you nervous?”

“No.” Lilian turned to glance out the window. Even more men shuffled into the castle with their swords and suits of armor. Her stomach churned. “Not at all.”

Her mother left after giving her a quick hug and a proud smile, while Julius arrived to lead Lilian to the banquet hall. Everything—the tables, the chairs, the expensive cutlery—had been cleared to make way for the suitors, who lined the hall from end to end. As Lilian entered, every single person bowed. Her left eye twitched. Her palms grew sweaty, so she wiped them on her gown. A trumpeter played a grand entrance song for her that came to a noticeable halt as Lilian took a seat on the throne, his last note echoing off the walls.

“You may rise,” Lilian said. Her voice sounded crackly, so she cleared her throat.

Everyone stood and formed a line from the hall entrance to the throne, and Lilian had to sit for an hour as each suitor approached and offered platitudes that meant nothing to her. She received so many bouquets of flowers that Julius had to send for the royal gardener. But Rosa had no interest in any of the suitors until one towards the back of the line approached her, dressed in a deep, forest green cloak. With their hood pulled up over their head, Lilian could scarcely see their face, but she felt as though she knew them somehow.

“Your Majesty.” Their greeting was short, simple, but not unkind. They bowed quickly and presented her with a bouquet of yellow daisies. As she took the flowers, their fingers brushing for a moment, Lilian’s heart jumped. It was Rosa, come in disguise to win her honor. No one else knew that yellow daisies were her favorite type of flower.

“Thank you.” Lilian smiled knowingly. “These smell divine.”

She insisted on holding this particular bouquet even as the suitors arranged themselves for the first competition of the day, which was a duel. Each suitor would go head to head with another in a sword fight, and the winner—whoever managed to catch the other by the throat without harming their opponent—went on to the next round. To Lilian, this was an incredibly boring affair. She had no interest in seeing hundreds of men compete in an over-the-top display of masculinity.

That is, until Rosa stepped up to face her opponent. She still had her hood drawn up over her head, disguising her face. She and her opponent, a tall, lanky earl from Satama, circled around one another for a while before Rosa made the first move, lunging at his side. He dodged it easily, but this turned out to be Rosa’s trick. Before he even registered what was happening, she had moved around to his backside and positioned the sword at his throat. The crowd, which had been boisterous and rowdy throughout the whole competition, grew silent. Stunned stares watched as Rosa slowly lowered her sword and released the earl. Lilian’s parents, who were the designated judges for the competition, announced her the winner. No one else spoke when Rosa returned to the crowd and took her place among the victors.

After the duel concluded, Lilian, her parents, and Julius led the remaining suitors to the castle garden, where dozens of targets had been assembled by the servants. Some stretched as high as the large grass sculptures, all trimmed in the shape of various animals, while others were low to the ground, close to the sunflowers and the lilies and all of the other flowers that brightened the garden. The flowers’ sickly sweet smell permeated the air. Lilian normally found them pretty, but today, her nose just itched.

The suitors lined up once more, bows in hand, to test their aim in an archery competition. Few could hit half the targets, if any at all. But not Rosa—when she stepped to the front of the line, everyone grew silent once more. The stretch of her bow and eventual release of her arrow sounded throughout the garden. Thunk. The arrow landed dead center in the first target. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. She took the rest of the targets, one by one, leaving not a single one untouched. When she had finished, she whirled around and bowed to all the spectators.

Lilian turned to hide her grin.

As the winner of both competitions, Rosa was to be crowned the favored suitor for the queen’s hand, and Lilian wanted to shout that Rosa didn’t have to do a damn thing to prove she was the worthiest suitor. But she didn’t want to give away Rosa’s secret—and her own—so she stayed silent. Even as Lilian placed the champion’s band, made of silver and sapphires, upon Rosa’s head, she still did not remove her cloak. Yet when she rose, Lilian could’ve sworn she saw her wink. “Thank you, Your Majesty.” Then she readjusted her hood, swept her cloak around her feet, and marched proudly out of the castle.

Lilian watched her leave, almost as stunned as everyone else in attendance. When she’d finally gathered herself, she stood and thanked the suitors for their dedication. Then she dismissed the crowd, sinking down into the throne. Her hands shook.

“I wonder who on Earth that could have been,” her mother remarked. “Whoever they were, they were quite remarkable.”

Lilian didn’t respond.

Slowly, the masses dispersed. As the suitors filed out of the castle, one by one, whispers spread amongst the crowd, speaking only of the stranger in the green cloak.

* * *

Lilian found Rosa round the back of the castle, her hood drawn down, revealing her long, flowing hair. She sat on the edge of the dock with her feet dangling over the water’s edge and her head bowed towards the waves. Lilian sank down beside her. 

“I knew you could swing a sword better than anyone I know, but I’m quite impressed by your archery skills.”

Rosa looked up, offering a melancholy smile. “I learned from the best.”

Lilian nodded, remembering the days when she taught Rosa archery in the palm tree forests at the edge of Satama. “Yes, well. I’m not just a helpless queen, you know.”

“I do know.” Rosa picked at peeling skin on the back of her hand. “So, did you find your husband today?”

“No, I didn’t,” Lilian said, staring out into the water. The tide was high today, the waves beating mercilessly against the shore. “Because I’m taking you as my wife. I would have even without you winning the competition.”

Rosa looked up, mouth slightly open. “You mean that?” she said softly.

“Of _course_ I do. Rosa, I—” Lilian stopped and let out a strangled noise. 

Her stomach swooped as she fisted Rosa’s hair and tugged her in so that they collided in a rough kiss. How could she have let herself be so blinded by tradition? Of course this was the way it was meant to be. Rosa met her just as fiercely, matching Lilian with a push and pull of her own, all teeth and tongue and chapped lips. But that was Rosa—thick skin and tough love, but loyal until the end. And Lilian loved her for all that she was and would be as her rightful co-ruler.

As they pulled apart, Rosa rested her forehead on Lilian’s, and they shared each other’s breath for a sweet moment. A shadow fell over them. Lilian looked up as a ship pulled into the harbor with a golden skull and crossbones on its flag, which flapped in the wind.

“Looks like the crew’s on time today,” Rosa said, still gazing at Lilian.

Lilian turned to face Rosa again. “Indeed.”

Rosa pushed herself up from the dock and held out her hand. “Well, come on, then. I think One-Eye is going to have a fit if he can’t set sail soon.” 

Lilian took her hand, feeling as though it were the most natural thing in the world to do, and let Rosa lead her onto the ship. One-Eye Daniels set the course for northbound, while Matteo, the crew’s youngest member, raised the sails once more. They began to move, headed away from Satama and from the burdens of Lilian’s royal title. She knew she would have to come back at some point, to resume her duties as queen. But this time, she’d be returning with Rosa by her side.

For the first time since her coronation, she felt truly free. She watched the castle grow smaller and smaller while they ventured out into the ocean. Then she turned to face Rosa, her profile illuminated by the glow of the sunset, as the ship sailed into the horizon.

**Author's Note:**

> If you've made it this far, thank you so much for reading :) I had an absolute blast writing this piece, and I hope you enjoyed it too.


End file.
